Safety guard for brake rods



March 7, 1933. E, us's ET AL 1,900,224

SAFETY GUARD FOR BRAKE RODS Filed March 16, 1931 2 Sheets-Zheet lAmen/0r:

Ec/w/h 6 50566 f/erberf "(i/Md? y Afforney March 7, 1933. E. e. BUSSE ETAL 1,900,224

SAFETY GUARD: FOR BRAKE RODS Filed March 16, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Mar. 7, 1933 V UNITED STATES,

a? oFF-IC 1 G; BUSSE AND HERBERT W. EKHOLlVI, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNQRS' CHICAGO-RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION v OF ILLINOIS snrnrveunnn FOR BR-AKE RODS Application filedMarch 16, 1931. Serial, No. 522,874...

' The invention relates to railway rolling stock and consistsparticularly in novel means for safeguarding bottom connecting rods forbrake beams.

Various devices have been developed for use in connection'with trusstype brake beams for preventing bottom connecting rods from dropping tothe track in case of loss of con necting pins. These devices have,however, been secured either to the spring plank or other convenienttruck part, or to the compression member of the-brake beam. Such devicesare not adapted for use in connection with clasp brake arrangements,wherein the bottom connecting rod does not pass beneath the spring plankor any of the compression members. Nor are these devices adapted to beapplied to the front end of the brake beam, especially if the tensionmember is round, because of the danger of the guard being struck andturned by obstacles on thetrack.

The mainobject of the present invention isto provide an economicalefiicient bottom rod .safe-ty guard which may be rigidly attached to thefront endof a brake beam. This object and others are attained in thestructureillustrated in. the accompanying draw ings in whichv .Figure 1is a vertical longitudinal section taken approximately on. thelongitudinal center line of a truck embodying one form of the invention.

. Figure 5 is a detail top view of thesafety support shown in Figure 1.p

V Figure 6 is a detail front View of the same. Figures 2,3, 4 and 7 M23are detail views showing various modifications of the invention. IFigure 1 shows a portion eluding side-frame 1 carried upon wheels 2through the usual journal boxes (not shown), and having a centralopening for receiving the ends of a spring plank 3. A bolster, portionsof which are shown at 4:, is carried on springs (notshown) resting onthe spring plank.

Two truss type brake beams are provided for application to each pair ofwheels, each beam including a compression member 5,

the strut and bottom connection 19 and then is secured ina bifurcatedbracket 21v dc.-

of a truck inv a tension member 6, and a strut or fulcrumv arm 7engaging the tension member at'its' forward end. Brake heads 8 aremounted on the ends of each beam and are suspended from the truck framebysuitabl'ehangers 9. The clasp brake rigging includes overhead rod 10and link 11 secured to opposite ends of an equalizing lever (not shown),floating. levers 12 and 13, dead levers Hand 15, and bottom connections19 and 20.

Figures 5 and 6 are detail top and'front views, respectively, of thesafety guard 16 shown in Figure 1. The guard is of round section and hasone end 18 securedin a bifurcated bracket 17 depending from the frontend of strut 7 The guard then extends upwardly in front of tensionmember 6 and over the top and then downwardly in the rear thereof(Figure 6), and passes beneath Epwardly hooking over the tension memer6.in I This form may bevmade applicable to either rightor left hand bottomconnections,

strut engaging portions 63 and6 1 at each end of the guard 65. i

In Figures2 and 3, detail frontand top views, respectively, an end ofthe guard 22 pending from the strut. The guard passes behind and thenoverthe tension memberl6 and then terminates in a hook beneath thebottom connection. Figure 4 is a side view of a slightly varied form inwhich the guard 23 engages the brake beam as in Figures 2 and 3, butinclines forwardly of the bottom connection instead of dependingsubstantially vertically. I

v In Figure 7, guard 2 lhooks around strut 26 adjacent its intersectionwith tension member 25, passes up over the. inside of the'tensionmember, and thenforms a hook beneath the'bottom connection 27.

respectively, of another modified form of the invention in which one endof guard 30 .is secured in a bifurcated bracket 28 projecting from thetop of the front end of strut 29. The guard passes beneath the strut,then up as shown in Figure 23, by the-provisionof 7 Figures 8 and 9 arefront and sideviews, 5

and then downwardly to form a hook beneathbottom connection 31.

In Figure 10, guard 33, shown in full lines, is secured between the legsof bracket 34, depending from the forward end of strut 35, by means of apin 42. The guard passes in front of and over tension member 36, andthen downwardly forming a hook under the bottom connection 37. This formmay be varied as shown in dotted lines wherein the guard does not engagethe tension member.

In Figure 11, one end of guard 38, shown in full lines, is secured inbifurcated bracket 39, as in Figures 5 and 6. The guard passes beneaththe bracket and bottom connection 40 and then hooks over the right sideof tension member 11. This form may be varied as shown in dotted lines.I11 Figure 1.2, guard 43 has a hook at at one end which engages asuitable recess near the forward end of strut 15. The guard extendsbeneath the tension membe 4:6, passes in front of and over the same, andthen forms a hook beneath bottom connection 47.

In Figures 13, 14:, and 15, an end 49 of guard 52 is secured toforwardly projecting ears 50 on strut 51. The guard passes overthetension member 58, then downwardly beneath the strut, then up behind andover the tension member, and then down in front of the tension member toform a hook beneath the bottom connection 54.

In Figures 16, 17, and 18, a flat strap 55 has a U-shaped portion 56 atone end for insertion between the forwardly projecting strut ears 57 Theassembly is maintained by a pin 59, and an additional member 58 isprovided to prevent the loss of the pin. The safety guard 55 dependsdownwardly from the ears 57 and forms a hook beneath rod 62. In Figure18, portions of a fourth point support chair 60 and a brake beam guard,guide, or support member 61 are shown. This form of guard could. beadvantageously used in connection with a solid type of brake beam inwhich case the guard would be secured to the front end ofv the fulcrumarm or a suitable bracket thereon.

In Figures 19 and 20, a loop 63 is secured between ears 6 1 on theforward end of strut 65 by means of pin 66. In this form, the guard isformed preferably of spring material so that the tendency of the guardto expand within the ears serves to prevent rattling.

Either of the guards shown in Figures 16 to 20, if desired, may beapplied to a bracket depending from the front end of the strut. InFigure 21 a fiat strap 66 is inserted between the legs of a bracket 67depending from the end strut 68 and held by a pin 69 in a manner similarto that illustrated in Figures 16 to 18. Figure 22 corresponds withFigures 19 and 20 except that looped guard 701s secured to dependingbracket 71 on strut 72. The engagement of the guard with the bracketlegs is the same as in Figure 19.

It will be seen that in most of the forms shown, the guard. engages boththe strut and the tension member in a manner to provide effectivesupport for the bottom connection in case of loss of a connecting pin,and also to resist lateral or longitudinal blows caused by strikingobstacles-between the rails, without tilting and without subjectingprojecting brackets or ears on the strut to undue strain which mightcause these parts to be broken. The guards are readily removable, butthe use of resilient material permitting yielding engagement between'theguard and brake beam is not essential in any of the forms, although itis desirable in the last. I

Obviously, the invention might be varied in other respects as to detailswithout departing from the spirit thereof and. we contemplate theexclusive use of all such variations as come within the scope of theclaims.

IV e claim 1. A safety guard for a railway brake bot tom connectionhaving a portion adapted. to be applied to the front end of a brake beamfulcrum arm, and a portion shaped to we tend beneath the connectionguarded.

2. A safety guard for a railway brake bottom connection and havingportions adapted to engage the forward end of the strut and the tensionmember of a truss type brake beam, respectively, and a portion adaptedto extend beneath the connection to be safeguarded.

3. A safety guard fora railway brake bottom connection including aportion secured to the front end of the strut of a truss type brakebeam, a portion engaging the tension member of the beam to prevent theguard from tilting, and a portion extendingbeneath the connection to besafe guarded.

4. A safety guard for a railway brake bottom connectionincluding aportion shaped. to extend beneath the connection to be safe guarded, aportion adapted to be looped over the tension member of a truss typebrake beam, and a portion for engaging the forward end of the strut ofsaid beam for pre-- venting rotation of said guard around said tensionmember.

5. In combination, a truss type railway.

brake beam including atension member and. a strut, and a brake bottomconnection safety guard secured to said strutat a po1nt adjacent itsintersection wlth said tenslon member.

6. In combination, a truss type railway brake beam including a tensionmember and a strut, said strut having a bracket projecting from thefront end thereof, and a safety guard for a brake bottom connection and1neluding a portion secured to send. bracket, a

to be safe portion looped over said vtension member, and a portion forextending beneath the bottom connection.

7. In combination, a truss-type railway brake beam including a tensionmember and a strut, and a safety guard for a brake bot tom connectionand including a portion extending beneath the connection, a portionsecured to said strut adjacent its intersection with said tensionmember, and a portion looping over said tension member.

8. In combination, a railway brake beam including a fulcrum arm, saidarm having a bracket projecting therefrom, and a safety guard for abrake bottom connection comprising an elongated member having a portionengaging said bracket and a portion extending beneath the connection tobe safe guarded. I

9. In combination, a truss-type railway brake beam including a strut anda tension member, said strut having a bracket projecting therefrom, anda safety guard for a brake bottom connection comprising an elongatedmember having a resilient portion at one end secured to said bracket,and another portion extending beneath the bottom connection to be safeguarded, said resilient portion serving to prevent rattling.

10. In combination, a truss type railway brake beam including a strutand a tension member, said strut having spaced elements projecting fromthe front end thereof, and a safety guard for a brake bottom connectioncomprising a strap having resilientportions inserted between saidelements, a pin securing said portions to said elements, and a pinretaining member also secured between said. elements and having aportion overlapping one of saidelements and engaging the head of saidpin.

11. A brake beam bottom connection safety guard including portions ateach end for engaging the front end of a brake beam strut, andintermediate portions shaped to loop over the tension member of the beamand extend beneath the connection to be safeguarded, respectively, saidguard being adapted to safeguard a connection offset at either side ofthe center of said beam as determined by the one of said end portionswhich engages the strut.

12. In combination, a railway brake beam including a fulcrum arm havinga bracket on the forward end thereof, and a safety guard for a brakebottom connection comrisin an elon ated member havin end portionsdisposed to selectively engage said bracket and intermediate portionsshaped to extend beneath the connection to be'safeguarded, theone ofsaidv end portions engaged by said bracket being determined by theposition of said connection relative to said bracket.

13. In combination, a railway brake beam said front part in a pluralityof positions as determined by the position of the connection to besafeguarded.

In testimony whereofwe hereunto afiix our signatures this 10th day ofMarch, 1931.

EDWIN Gr. BUSSE.

. HERBERT W. EKHOLM.

